The Houston Astros fell to the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon in Great American Ballpark. The loss completes a series sweep for Cincinnati over Houston.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Reds started rookie pitcher Rhett Lowder in this one. Lowder pitched for Wake Forest in college and is one of the highest-ranked prospects in baseball. He worked a clean first inning, allowing just a two-out walk but stranding that runner.
Lowder was opposed by Hunter Brown, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past few months. Similar to Lowder, Brown dealt with one baserunner but worked around it to post a zero.
Both pitchers settled in quickly, and this turned into a pitcher’s duel. Zeroes were put up by both right-handers in the second and third innings. In the bottom of the fourth, the Reds managed to load the bases with two outs. However, Brown worked a ground ball to get out of the jam and keep things scoreless.
The fifth was back to both pitchers dealing, and two more zeroes were added to the scoreboard. That continued in the sixth, leaving this game scoreless heading to the final three frames.
The Astros got a couple of baserunners on via a walk and a single with just one out in the sixth. That prompted a pitching change, ending Lowder’s afternoon. Victor Caratini grounded into a double play immediately after the change, keeping the game scoreless.
Brown was done after six scoreless and made way for Bryan Abreu in the seventh. Abreu was greeted by a Ty France solo home run to start his outing, making it 1-0 Reds.
That one run ended up being all Cincinnati needed on this day. The Astros offense could not get anything going against the bullpen and fell 1-0.
BIG NUMBER: 0
The Astros’ offense could not find its way in this game, failing to score. It was a series where not much went well for Houston, and that resulted in them getting swept.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rhett Lowder
The young righty continues to impress in his young MLB career. He did not allow a run over six and one-third impressive innings, setting up the Reds bullpen. They shut the door and helped Cincy earn the sweep.
UP NEXT: The Astros return home to Minute Maid Park to begin a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM.